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I was born in 1967 to hearing parents. My hearing
loss was not detected until I was four, when my ENT discovered a
cholesteatoma (cyst) in my right ear during an adenoid procedure.
No one is sure how much I was able to hear before that time.
Hearing tests revealed a moderate-severe loss and I was immediately
fitted with a hearing aid in my right ear. In the following
years, my hearing loss worsened, usually in quick, dramatic instances.
In October 1991, I was driving home from work when my residual
hearing suddenly vanished. For ten years following that, I was profoundly
deaf, but continued to wear a hearing aid in the right ear.
July 2001 • Visited UNC-Chapel Hill Neurosciences
Hospital. Met Carol Gilmer, CCA, and Dr. Harold Pillsbury. After
a temporal bone CAT scan and Initial hearing tests which showed
very poor results (see
pre-op scores), I qualified as a cochlear implant candidate.
CAT scans revealed that I had the Enlarged Vestibular Aqueduct
Syndrome (EVAS), but should not affect the implant. Surgery date
scheduled for mid-September.
September 18, 2001 • Implanted with MED-EL device.
Surgery was approx 4 hours-- a bit longer than usual. Due to an
undetected cochlear malformation, the electrode had to be inserted
three times. Fortunately, with the MED-EL's straight electrode,
Dr. Pillsbury was able to get 8 (out of 12) in the cochlea. The
waiting begins....
October 4, 2001 • Hook -up day. I returned earlier
than my originally scheduled date of October 29. I was extremely
ill with vertigo and tinnitus (sounded like I was under the wings
of a jet taking off), that I was asked to come in. It was explained
that getting some sound in my ear will greatly help the vertigo--
as my brain was "screaming" for some sound.
First we mapped my threshold levels (basically the quietest volume
levels I can detect and then the maximum loudness I can tolerate).
Then Carol turned it "on"... and suddenly I was hearing
beeps and blips.
I had expected this, due to the superb preparation by Carol and
her staff, but also from hearing of other implantees' experiences.
Still, it was quite a shock --- and even more surprisingly, I felt
better. Carol was so right in the fact that once I got sound, my
tinnitus and vertigo would ease. I could not believe it.
After hearing beeps for 10 minutes, the sounds became more like
garbled voices, similar to hearing underwater. Then just 30 minutes
after that, I was recognizing voices, and very soft sounds like
a tea kettle brewing. It amazes me how fast your brain processes
sounds. Voices were still very quacky-sounding, like Mickey Mouse
or one of the Chipmunks (ie. Alvin), but they were voices, alright--
and not beeps.
October 7 • Dinner with family. Whoa..... all those
forks clanking on the plates, refrigerator running in the background.
My three-year old was singing various songs in the backseat (Twinkle,
Twinkle; Shepherd, Shaped; etc.) and I knew which he was singing.
October 8 • Buddy Holly and Elvis. Great beat and sound,
but the voices a little quacky. Starting picking up the bass beats
in the background. Don't remember ever hearing those with my hearing
aid before. Cool.
October 9 • For the first time in his life, I told
Jordan to "keep it down". He was just playing in his playroom
with his Rescue Heroes. Got a strange look from him.
October 11 • Listened to my parents over the speakerphone
and understood the majority of the conversation. A very emotional
moment for everyone. Jenni and I did some AV exercises, which I
passed with great success. For example, she would read some sentences
and names of family members-- and I understood a very big portion
of it, We were so thrilled at the success I was having in just one
week's time.
October 29 • Returned to Chapel Hill for the first
official mapping and hearing tests. Results
were fantastic! I began to feel much better. Still having trouble
with equilibrium and balance, but the tinnitus and vertigo had subsided.
During these few months, I have started playing my guitar and keyboard
again; talking to coworkers and family on the telephone with minimal
difficulties; even called my son from Richmond and had a great phone
conversation for the first time, heard my stomach growl and the
soft ticking of clocks and light timers in our rooms.
December 20 • Three month testing was excellent. Everyone
[especially me] was thrilled with the test scores....
May 14, 2002 • Eight months later, I continue to pick
up new sounds such as annoying crickets. Geez, I had no idea what
they sounded like before. I can understand my son whispering to
me. I use the cell phone with much ease. I am enjoying music tremendously...
picking up guitar riffs, the soft melodies of the piano, and even
understanding the words of some songs. [ Just wish I could sing
it ]
May 29, 2002 • Business trip in Austria: During a listening
experience at the University of Innsbruck, I understood sentences
with great success-- coming from a woman with a strong (but lovely)
English accent. "What colour ah your trousers?" ( I joking
responded.." We call them PANTS over there."). Never dreamed
that I woul understand a foreign accent as well as I did. Another
major highlight was meeting the team of engineers that built my
COMBI 40+. Overwhelmed with so much emotion that I could barely
utter a word of "thanks for changing my life." I guess
seeing a crying, smiling patient was more than simple words can
say.
June, 2002 • Six-month eval went great. HINT in noise
scores improved greatly (72%). Was tested again with HINT sentences
only 5 db louder than the noise (as opposed to 10 db louder in the
original test) and tested at (41%). Understood my wife whispering
for the first time ever. Heard numbers called out in a noisy pizza
restaurant, sprinkler systems sputtering across the lawn, leaves
rustling along the driveway...
April, 2003 • My second son, Jackson was born. As much
of a miracle as his arrival was, it was even more miraculous at
how I heard it all. I required no interpeter -- as I did
when my first child was born and I was wearing my hearing aid. I
understood the doctors with their masks on -- even with the medical
instruments buzzing and beeping in the background. I heard Jax's
first scream. I called my family and peers on my own cell phone
to share the news. Wonderful.
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